gruff rhys

Neon Neon (Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip) will release new album Praxis Makes Perfect in the UK on April 29th via Lex Records.

Praxis Makes Perfect is inspired by the life and times of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. Born in to one of Italy’s wealthiest families, Feltrinelli was a left-wing political activist and published some of the greatest literary works of the 20th century, including The Leopard and Doctor Zhivago. He died in highly suspicious circumstances in 1972.

Praxis Makes Perfect features Sabrina Salerno, Asia Argento, Cate Le Bon, Josh Klinghoffer and follows Neon Neon’s 2008, Mercury-shortlisted debut Stainless Style, a concept album based on the life of colourful motoring mogul John DeLorean.

Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip have also teamed up with playwright Tim Price, director Wils Wilson and National Theatre Wales to create unique Neon Neon live performances. An initial run of shows will take place at an undisclosed Cardiff location from 2nd to 5th May. Tickets are priced £15 and on sale here.

(©pierre humbert - www.moltisanti.net)

NW1 client Gruff Rhys has announced his second investigative concert tour of the Americas. The first, which saw Gruff winding his way around South America in a search for his long lost, guitar-playing, poncho-wearing uncle, Rene Griffiths, was documented by Dylan Goch in their 2010 feature film Separado! In August 2012, Gruff - known around the world for his work with Super Furry Animals and Neon Neon, as well as his collaborations with Gorillaz, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and Simian Mobile Disco - will be seeking out the final resting place of his relative John Evans, who left Wales in 1792 on a quest to find a mythical tribe of Welsh speaking Native Americans. Gruff will follow the path of John Evans using film, the written word, photo-story, social media and song to create an investigative road movie and album.

John Evans - a 22-year old farmhand from the mountains of Snowdonia, Wales - responded to a plea for a brave soul to ascertain if there was indeed a tribe of Welsh-speaking Native Americans still walking the Great Plains, descendants of Prince Madog (widely believed to have discovered America in 1170). During the course of an extraordinary adventure, Evans wrestled the largest river reptiles ever seen in the Mississippi, hunted Bison with the Omaha tribe, defected to the Spanish in St Louis, discovered imaginary volcanoes in Missouri, annexed North Dakota from the British, and created the map that guided Lewis and Clarke on their legendary expedition. His adventure was cut short when he died broke and out of his mind at 29 in New Orleans.